Lesson 15

Understanding and cooking Poultry

Understanding Poultry.
After this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Explain the differences between light meat and dark meat, and describe how these differences
affect cooking.
2. Describe four techniques that help keep chicken or turkey breast moist while roasting.
3. Define the following terms used to classify poultry: kind, class, and style.
4. Store poultry items.
5. Determine doneness in cooked poultry, both large roasted birds and smaller birds.
6. Truss poultry for cooking.
7. Cut up chicken into parts.

Composition and Structure

- The flesh of poultry and game birds is muscle tissue, as is the flesh of beef, lamb, veal, pork,
etc. Its composition and structure are essentially the same as those of meat.
- Remember that muscle tissue is composed of:
Water (about 75 percent)
Protein (about 20 percent)
Fat (up to 5 percent)
Other elements, including carbohydrate, in small quantities.
- Remember that muscles consist of muscle fibers held together in bundles by connective tissue.

Maturity and Tenderness

We learned in the past lesson that the tenderness of a piece of meat—or poultry—is related to
connective tissue and that connective tissue increases with
• Use or exercise of the muscle.
• Maturity or age of the animal or bird.

1. Use or exercise is of less concern in poultry. Most poultry are young when slaughter, so that it
is relatively tender throughout. However, there are differences, discussed in the next section,
between light meat and dark meat.
2. Maturity is a major consideration when selecting poultry. Young, tender birds are cooked by
dry-heat methods, such as broiling, frying, and roasting, as well as by moist heat methods. Older,
tougher birds need slow, moist heat to be made palatable.

Light Meat and Dark Meat

Poultry is not divided into as many small cuts as are meats. Poultry are divided into two main
categories depending on the color of the meat. These color differences reflect other differences:
1. “Light (white) meat”—breast and wings, less fat, less connective tissue, cooks faster

2. “Dark meat”—legs (drumsticks and thighs) more fat, more connective tissue, takes longer to
cook.
Birds such as duck or goose have all dark meat, but the same differences in connective tissue
hold true.

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The dark color of dark meat is due to a protein called myoglobin. This protein stores oxygen for
muscles to use during periods of great activity. The breast muscles of birds are used for flying,
and because chickens and turkeys rarely, if ever, fly, these muscles don’t need a great deal of
myoglobin. In flying birds, such as ducks, the breast muscles have more myoglobin and thus are
darker. Active muscles, in addition to being darker, also have more connective tissue.

1. Cooking whole birds.

Everyone has tasted chicken or turkey breast so dry it was difficult to swallow. In fact, light meat
is overcooked more often because it cooks faster than the legs and is done first due that breast
has less fat than the legs, so it tastes much drier when cooked (or overcooked).

- A major problem in roasting poultry is cooking the legs to doneness without overcooking the
breast. Chefs have devised many techniques to help solve this problem.
Here are some of them.
• Roasting breast-down for part of the roasting period. Gravity draws moisture and fat to the breast
rather than away from it.
• Basting with fat only, not with water or stock. Fat protects against drying, but moisture washes
away protective fat.
• Barding, or covering the breast with a thin layer of pork fat. This is usually done with lean game
birds.
• Separating breast from leg sections and roasting each for a different time. This is often done
with large turkeys.

2. Cooking poultry parts.

Many recipes have been devised especially for certain poultry parts, such as wings, drumsticks,
and boneless chicken breasts. These recipes take into account the different cooking
characteristics of each part. For example, flattened boneless chicken breasts can be quickly
sautéed and remain juicy and tender. Turkey wings, when braised, release enough gelatin to
make a rich sauce.

Classification and Market Forms

The following terms are used to classify poultry:
- Kind—the species, such as chicken, turkey, or duck.
- Class—the subdivision of kind, depending on age and sex.
- Style—the amount of cleaning and processing.
Live: almost never purchased in food service.
Dressed: killed, bled, and plucked. Also rarely seen in food service.
Ready to cook: dressed and eviscerated, with head and feet removed.
• Whole.
• Cut up, or parts.
- State of refrigeration—chilled or frozen.

Handling and Storage

Fresh Poultry
1. Fresh poultry is extremely perishable. It should arrive packed in ice and be kept in ice until
used.
2. Ideally, use poultry within 24 hours of receiving. Never hold it for more than 4 days.
3. Poultry often carries salmonella bacteria. Wash all equipment and cutting surfaces after
handling poultry to avoid contamination of other foods.
Frozen Poultry
1. Store frozen poultry at 0°F (–18°C) or lower until ready to thaw.

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2. Thaw in original wrapper in refrigerator, allowing 1 to 2 days for chickens, 2 to 4 days for larger
birds. If pressed for time, thaw in cold, running water in original wrapper.
3. Do not refreeze thawed poultry.
Doneness
Domestic poultry is almost always cooked well done (except squab and sautéed or grilled duck
breast). Chicken and turkey are low in fat, so they quickly become dry and unpalatable when
overcooked. Even duck and goose, which are very fatty, taste dry and stringy if cooked too long.

For Large Roasted Birds

Internal temperature, as tested with a thermometer, is the most accurate guide to doneness. The
thermometer should be inserted into the thickest muscle of the inner part of the thigh, away from
the bone. The thigh is tested rather than the breast because the thigh is the last part of the bird
to become fully cooked.
The recommended safe internal temperature for roast whole poultry is 165°F (74°C). However,
the more usual practice is to aim for a final temperature of 180°F (82°C). This higher temperature
provides a margin of safety to allow for the difficulty of measuring poultry temperatures accurately.
(Most customers do not like to see red or pink at the bone joints of chicken and turkey.) Depending
on the size of the bird, removing it from the oven when the thermometer reads between 165° and
175°F (74° and 79°C) should result in a final temperature of 180°F (82°C) after carryover cooking.

For Smaller Birds, Cooked by Any Method

Doneness of smaller birds is determined in the following ways.
1. Looseness of joints. The leg moves freely in its socket.
2. Clear juices. Juices inside the cavity of a roasted bird are clear yellow rather than cloudy and
red or pink.
3. Flesh separating from bone. Muscles begin to pull away from bones, especially breastbone
and leg bones. Excessively shrunken flesh means it’s overcooked and dry.
4. Firmness to touch. Test with finger pressure as you would a steak. This method is especially
useful for sautéed boneless chicken breasts.
Not recommended: Do not test by piercing deeply with a fork and twisting the flesh. Too many
valuable juices will be lost.

Trussing Methods
Trussing means tying the legs and wings against the body to make a compact, solid unit. It has
two main purposes:
1. Even cooking. Extended legs and wings cook too quickly.
2. More attractive appearance, especially when presented or served whole or carved in the dining
room.

Cutting Up Chicken
- There are many ways to cut up chickens. Every person has his or her preferred methods.
- Cutting chicken apart at the joints is also known as disjointing.
- As for meats, it is important to know the bone structure of chicken in order to cut it up. The
best way to learn this is to practice cutting chickens.

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 Cooking Poultry
Roasting and Baking
The general procedures for roasting and baking meats also apply to poultry. However, there are
some differences in the ways poultry items are handled.
Remember that poultry items are almost always cooked well done

Seasoning and Basting

1. Seasonings and, if desired, a little mirepoix or a bouquet garni should be placed inside the
cavity. When roasting whole birds, you need to season the skin only if it is to be served and eaten,
as the seasonings will not penetrate the skin.
2. Oil the skin before roasting to help in browning and to protect against drying. The skin may be
basted with fat during roasting, but this is unnecessary if the bird is roasted breast down (and
turned breast up just at the end of the roasting period to brown). Basting is beneficial for large
turkeys, which must be subjected to dry heat for several hours. If you baste large poultry during
roasting, do it every 20 to 30 minutes. More frequent basting results in the loss of a great deal of
heat from the oven because the door is opened so frequently.
3. Basting is unnecessary for duck and goose, which have a great deal of fat under the skin.
These birds are usually roasted breast up for that reason.

Temperature
Selection of roasting temperature depends on the product being roasted.
1. Low-temperature roasting is best for large items such as turkey. It results in a tender, juicy
product. Large turkeys may be roasted at 250° to 325°F (120° to 165°C). If a turkey is stuffed it is
not advisable to roast it at a very low temperature because the interior temperature will take too
long to rise, providing a good breeding ground for bacteria. Some recipes call for starting large
turkeys at a high temperature for 15 to 30 minutes in order to brown them. This is usually not
necessary because they will likely brown anyway during the long cooking time. Smaller items,
such as roasting chickens, are usually roasted at 325° to 375°F (165° to 190°C). Small items
roasted at low temperatures may not brown well by the time they are done. In such cases, the
heat can be turned up for a few minutes when they are almost done in order to brown them.

2. The searing method may be used for chickens under 4 to 5 pounds (2 kg) and for baked chicken
parts. Start roasting in the oven at 450°F (230°C) for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven
temperature to 250° to 325°F (120° to 160°C). These small items cook so quickly that continuous
roasting at a low temperature produces very little browning. Ducks and geese also may be started
at a high temperature in order to melt off some of the heavy fat layer under the skin and to make
the skin brown and crisp.

3. High-temperature roasting is used for small items such as squab and game birds, which are
often served rare. Ducks may also be roasted at a continuously high temperature (400° to
425°F/200° to 220°C) because their fat content protects them from drying. Great care should be
used to prevent overcooking because this can happen very quickly at these temperatures.
Turkeys should not be roasted at a continuously high temperature because of its larger size and
the length of time it takes to cook.

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Baked Poultry
Roasting and baking are the same process. Cutting up the chicken doesn’t change the cooking
method. Baked chicken or turkey parts are treated like roasted poultry. Chicken parts are
sometimes coated with seasoned crumbs or flour and rolled in fat before baking. Such products
are sometimes misleadingly called oven-fried because of their resemblance to breaded fried
chicken.

Poêlés
A poêlé (pwah lay) is a classical preparation for white meats and poultry in which the item is
cooked with a matignon (is a mirepoix in which the ingredients are minced rather than diced, and
more flavorings added. Matignon, unlike mirepoix, is not a part of the food preparation itself, but
is always served at the table) in a covered container and basted with butter before and during
cooking. Because the container is covered, the procedure is not a dry-heat method and, therefore,
is not a genuine roasting procedure. Nevertheless, poêléing is usually translated as “butter-
roasting” and is traditionally discussed along with other roasting procedures.

Broiling and Grilling

- Use lower temperatures than for meats. The outside can be burned easily before the inside is
cooked through. Poultry skin, in particular, browns and then burns very easily. For quantity
production, broiled chicken is sometimes finished in the oven on sheet pans, preferably on racks.
Start poultry pieces skin side down. This helps keep flavorful juices from dripping out. Brush
generously with melted butter or other fat before and during broiling. Because the skin of broiled
chicken is often eaten, it may be seasoned before cooking.
• Large or thick poultry items are not well suited to broiling and grilling because it takes so long
for the heat to penetrate to the center and cook them through. For example, turkey thighs could
be broiled if you kept the heat low enough, but, in practice, this is rarely done. On the other hand,
if you boned them out and flattened them lightly with a cutlet mallet, you would make them more
suitable for broiling and grilling.
1. Marinate the poultry or rub it with seasonings before cooking.
Keep in mind that marinade ingredients such as sugar and tomato burn easily, so use these with
care. Also, herbs on the surface of the poultry burn easily. Charred rosemary can give a pleasant
aroma to the food, but herbs such as parsley, if used in large quantity and allowed to burn, may
taste like burned leaves.
2. Baste with seasoned butter, marinade, or other flavorings during broiling.
Again, be careful with ingredients that burn easily. Use them only toward the end of cooking.
3. Serve with an appropriate sauce or seasoned butter.
Flavored butters can be placed on top of grilled poultry, but sauces should be underneath or on
the side so they don’t detract from the crisp, browned skin.
4. Select vegetable garnishes for variety and interest.
Well-chosen and carefully plated garnishes should be thought of as part of the whole presentation,
not just something served on the side.

Sautéing, Pan-Frying, and Deep-Frying

Sautéing
1. Boneless chicken breasts, thin slices of turkey breast, and other quick-cooking items are ideal
for sautéing.
2. Larger items, such as bone-in chicken cuts, are harder to cook to doneness by sautéing
because they need longer cooking times. Such items are often browned by sautéing and then
finished by another method, such as baking or braising.

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3. Classical cuisine features preparations for chicken called sautés, many of which are actually
made by braising. The basic procedure for sautéing meats is used, except the chicken is only
partially cooked by sautéing. It is then finished by simmering briefly in the sauce made by
deglazing the pan.

Pan-Frying
1. Pan-fried chicken is usually breaded or floured before cooking for even browning and crispness.
2. About 1⁄4 inch (1⁄2 cm) or more of fat is needed in the pan to pan-fry chicken.
3. The side that will face up on the plate should be browned first for best appearance. This is
called the presentation side. For chicken pieces, it is usually the skin side.
4. After browning on all sides over moderately high heat, lower the heat so the chicken cooks to
doneness without overbrowning. Pan-fried chicken takes 30 to 45 minutes to cook.

Deep-Frying
1. The procedure for deep-frying is like that for pan-frying, except the item doesn’t have to be
turned because it is submerged in the hot fat.
2. Pieces from small chickens (under 21⁄2 lb/l kg) are best for deep-frying. Larger pieces require
such a long cooking time that the surface may brown too much. If necessary, fried items may be
finished in the oven.
3. Fry chicken at 325° to 350°F (160° to 175°C) for even cooking.

Simmering and Poaching

Simmering and poaching are both methods of cooking in a liquid. The major difference is the
temperature. In simmering, the liquid is a little below the boiling point and bubbling very gently. In
poaching, the temperature is even lower, and the liquid is not really bubbling. Also, less liquid is
usually used for poaching.

Simmering
1. The simmering method is used to cook fowl and other tough items that require long cooking in
moist heat to be made tender. Cooking time is about 21⁄2 hours.
2. The cooking liquid is usually water seasoned with salt and, most often, mirepoix and herbs as
well.
3. Simmered fowl yields a rich, flavorful broth. The meat can be used for soups, creamed dishes,
casseroles, salads, and similar preparations.
4. Start the fowl in cold water if a flavorful soup is your main objective. Start with hot water to
retain more flavor in the meat.

Poaching
1. The poaching method is used to gently cook tender poultry in order to retain moisture and to
develop a light, subtle flavor. Cooking time is usually short because the product is naturally tender.
2. The cooking liquid is usually stock, sometimes with the addition of wine and other flavorings
and seasonings. Cold liquid is added to the poultry product in the pan to cover partway, and the
pan must be covered to retain steam. Covering also helps prevent drying and discoloration.
3. After cooking, the liquid may be used to make a sauce, such as suprême sauce, to serve with
the cooked product.
4. It is important to drain the poultry well after cooking, because any remaining liquid may spoil
the appearance of the sauce on the plate.
5. Poaching may be done on the range top or in the oven. Oven poaching provides more even
heat.

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Braising
A moist-heat cooking method, braising may be used to tenderize tough poultry products. Also, as
for veal and pork, it can be used to provide moistness and flavor to tender poultry items. Poultry
products are braised using the same procedures as for meats, except that mirepoix is frequently
omitted. Other flavoring ingredients may be used instead, depending on the recipe.

Dressings and Stuffings

Stuffing chickens and turkeys is usually not practical in production kitchens. Baking the stuffing
separately gives better results, for these reasons:
1. Safety.
Stuffing inside a bird is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria that cause food poisoning.
2. Quality.
Additional roasting time is needed to heat the stuffing through. The result is often overcooked
poultry.
3. Efficiency
Filling poultry with stuffing and removing it after roasting is impractical, time consuming, and
messy.

Stuffing that is baked separately is usually called dressing.

Is poultry ever stuffed? Yes. Small birds served whole as one or two portions can be stuffed and
often are. Stuffed Cornish hens or small game birds such as quail are popular items.

Basic Ingredients of Dressings

1. Starch base, such as bread or rice.
2. Aromatic vegetables, generally onions and celery.
3. Fat, such as butter or chicken fat, for sautéing the vegetables and for providing richness.
Dressings for chicken and turkey, which are lean, may require more fat than dressings for duck
and goose, which are fatty.
4. Liquid, usually stock, to provide moisture.
5. Seasonings, herbs, and spices.
6. Eggs, sometimes added as a binder but not always necessary.
7. Other ingredients for flavor, character, and bulk, such as:
- Sausage - Chestnuts
- Oysters - Fruits
- Giblets - Nuts

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 Assignment 5 & 6.
Instructions.
- Answer the following questions. (1- 6 Assignment 5, 7 – 12 assignment 6)
- Send/ upload through digital platform, “teams (send in a private chat), whatsapp (602-2481),
email (balvarado@mopantech.edu.bz)”. Please, DO NOT send any hard copy work. Place all your
assignments in a folder. I will collect them on a given date. If you don’t have a scanner, or a place
where to scan your work, snap some photos, and send to me. Make sure that the words on the
photo is readable, I will us them to grade you.

Assignment 5. (Due December 18th 2020).

1. Why is the breast section so often dry when whole chickens and turkeys are roasted? Can you
suggest ways to remedy this problem?
2. How should fresh and frozen poultry be stored?
3. Describe five methods for determining doneness in poultry items.
4. What is the purpose of trussing poultry?
5. How do the differences between light meat and dark meat affect how you cook different poultry
parts?
6. What do the terms kind, class, and style mean with respect to poultry?

Assignment 6. (Due January 11th 2021).

7. What are the factors to consider when determining the temperature at which to roast poultry?
8. What techniques are used for seasoning and basting roast poultry?
9. What are the basic ingredients of a basic poultry dressing or stuffing?
10. What are the differences between simmering and poaching as applied to poultry?
11. What is the difference between sautéing and pan-frying, when applied to poultry?
12. What poultry items are best for deep-frying? At what temperature should they be fried?
13. What are three reasons that “stuffing” is best baked in a separate pan rather than inside a
bird?

Bonus Point.

Watch the following video on “How to Cut a Chicken into 8 Pieces in Under a Minute -
Kitchen Conundrums with Thomas Joseph” and make a video of your self cutting a whole
chicken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UyyLRqah3E

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